Hydraulic fluid cuts energy usage in injection molding machine

Shell Lubricants, Houston, helped Niigon Technologies Ltd, a plastic injection molding company in Canada, achieve an average energy savings of more than 13% in the hydraulic system of injection molding machines. This was accomplished by using Shell Tellus EE, a high efficiency hydraulic fluid.

Shell recommended that Niigon try the energy saving hydraulic oil to help reduce the plant’s overall energy consumption. To begin the trial, a Husky H160 injection molding machine was fitted with a multi-meter to monitor power consumption against parts produced. The existing mineral based hydraulic oil was drained from the system and replaced with Shell Tellus EE hydraulic fluid.

“Before beginning the trial, it was important to make an accurate assessment of the current power consumption of the injection molding machine,” said Roy Hoppe, Shell’s field technical advisor. “To help achieve this, we worked with the machine’s manufacturer to install a power meter. And to carry out the trial using typical operating procedures in a plant environment, we drained the previous oil and replaced it with Shell Tellus EE without flushing the system.”

Two weeks later, the system was again drained and filled with fresh Shell Tellus EE to examine how the machine performed with a higher concentration of the Shell fluid in the system. Following another two-week trial, the results were analyzed and revealed that the Shell Tellus EE had helped reduce the energy consumption of the injection molding machine’s hydraulic system by an average of 13.9%.

Ed Brown, engineering manager at Niigon revealed, “This study showed that Shell Tellus EE can help us meet our mandate of reducing our impact on the environment, and has the added benefit of potentially reducing our operating costs.”

For more information on Shell Tellus EE hydraulic fluid, visit www.shell.us. See more product details in PDF format.